The mechanism of action for many drugs is to inhibit one or more enzymes of an organism or cell involved in a disease or disorder. The vast majority of small-molecule pharmaceuticals act by inhibiting enzymes or membrane-bound receptors. These protein targets have naturally selected pockets that enable them to bind to small molecules, e.g. typically they bind small molecules at the active site of the enzyme. The increased use of current therapeutics, however, has led to constant emergence of drug resistant organisms.
Within the past few years it has become apparent that coordinated protein-protein interactions play a major role in cellular, viral or disease processes. However, the search for drugs that block protein-protein interactions has yet to be successful for wide range applications.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for identifying potential inhibitors which can treat a disorder by inhibiting, disrupting, or altering protein:protein interactions. In certain preferred embodiments, the method comprises identifying compounds that can inhibit herpes simplex virus by altering or disrupting the interaction between the catalytic subunit and the processivity subunit of herpes simplex virus DNA polymerase.